Dark Metal...(ominous string music)

[D Mullholand]

Originally posted by O'blivion
Are you familiar with the Japanese band Sigh? They're sort of all over the place like MotW, but it all seems to make sense in the end.

Heard a lot about them (as well as about Green Carnation), but the situation with obtaining CDs with real music where I live is close to disastrous. There's simply no legal distribution whatsoever. I'm getting music from the internet and from our local mp3-pirates... and there are some bands with a higher priority that I want to try out first through the net (from other genres - like Kluster, AMM Ensemble, Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor) before I check out Green Carnation and their likes. I have grown a bit sceptical towards metal lately... Maudlin of the Well notwithstanding, of course.

You may take this as some form of defense, as you had in my last post for some reason, but I just wish to clarify it for any future discussions we may have. In your first post, all you wrote is that they "suck." I just responded as per my nature.

I don't intend to come off sounding like some cocky prick (now that is redundant,) but that's the problem with message boards. It's extremely hard to have an engaging conversation.

Anyway, let's consider the status of the misunderstanding "expired".

I'd prefer it to be face to face, but the problem is very few people are aware of the music we are talk about in these forums, and most are too obstinate to give anything "different" a try.

The reason is that most people are simply not interested in music. A person who is not interested in music, tends to treat it like a t-shirt or a haircut, and passively consumes the most neutral music that wouldn't distract him from dinner and TV. A person who is interested in music treats music like one would treat literature or cinema (i.e. art), and sooner or later becomes interested in all forms of music, without any exception (exceptions can be created by strong social barriers though - like some listeners I know personally who came out of jazz or classical wouldn't even approach rock or metal because of the prejudice in their social circle). One can throw away a music only if one understands it on its own merits and finds it to be ultimately unrewarding.

Now I have to mention this: our argument reminded me of Lacrimosa's existence, so I brushed the dust off my "Elodia" and listened to it after a 18-month break... and I must say that it's actually quite good! Kind of grotesque and unreal, the romanticism of the dead in a decadent setting... there are a lot of moments which have a Christmas-tale soundtrack-ish quality, and the usage of classical sounds and Mozart-inspired passages work quite well (even though it's still not classical - but you know, everyone is allowed to write their own "Sanctus"). I suppose this can be called a "rediscovery". Strange how this album used to be in my top 5 two years ago, and then I became totally sick of it until now. I still prefer some songs from "Einsamkeit" ("Reissende Blicke" is chilling), but this is really good stuff too.

D Mullholand

 

[O'blivion]

Are you a native of Ukraine? I'm just wondering, because your English is very good. Of course, I kind of have a personal bias against Ukrainians, mostly because my ancestors came from there in the early 1900's. I grew up in a small town, full of people who, though born in Canada, consider themselves Ukrainians. Very ethnocentric, close-minded people. Anyway. . .

I highly recommend Godspeed You Black Emperor! There's really nothing like them. I just wish there were more Canadian bands of this caliber around, but there just aren't (except for The Tea Party and Cryptopsy of course.) Our music scene is pretty stagnant as far as i'm concerned.

Have you tried Audiogalaxy before? You can find pretty much any mp3 you want there. If you have a high speed connection it helps a lot.

The reason is that most people are simply not interested in music. A person who is not interested in music, tends to treat it like a t-shirt or a haircut, and passively consumes the most neutral music that wouldn't distract him from dinner and TV. A person who is interested in music treats music like one would treat literature or cinema (i.e. art), and sooner or later becomes interested in all forms of music, without any exception (exceptions can be created by strong social barriers though - like some listeners I know personally who came out of jazz or classical wouldn't even approach rock or metal because of the prejudice in their social circle). One can throw away a music only if one understands it on its own merits and finds it to be ultimately unrewarding

I couldn't agree more. A lot of people I know just don't like music that much. For them it's like a social filler, or a cool trend to follow. Their appreciation of music never strays beyond the acknowledgement of a simple beat or rhythm. Unfortunately, the true artists suffer because of it. Synthesized corporate music, and lets face it, what people hear is dictated by the large music corporations, garners billions of dollars for those who capitalize on peoples complacency. Anyone with true artistic vision, who inlays certain complex structures, nuances or textures into their music will be ignored simply because their music is better. If the industry can keep churning out the same refuse over and over again, the profits remain high, and everything else is status quo. If music with a vision, say Maudlin of the Well, was released to the masses, it would raise the bar, and peoples expectations. It's like a pyramid, narrowing at the top. If quality goes up, the number of marketable bands goes down. If the number of marketable bands goes down, the industry would lose profit. The bottom line is, regardless of how good the musicians in Maudlin of the Well are, they still have to keep their day jobs. One of the reasons I spend thousands of my hard earned dollars on cds, even after getting them free off the internet, is to support the bands that deserve to be profiting in the market. I wish I could say I think things will one day change.

Now I have to mention this: our argument reminded me of Lacrimosa's existence, so I brushed the dust off my "Elodia" and listened to it after a 18-month break... and I must say that it's actually quite good! Kind of grotesque and unreal, the romanticism of the dead in a decadent setting... there are a lot of moments which have a Christmas-tale soundtrack-ish quality, and the usage of classical sounds and Mozart-inspired passages work quite well (even though it's still not classical - but you know, everyone is allowed to write their own "Sanctus"). I suppose this can be called a "rediscovery". Strange how this album used to be in my top 5 two years ago, and then I became totally sick of it until now. I still prefer some songs from "Einsamkeit" ("Reissende Blicke" is chilling), but this is really good stuff too.

Yeah, sometimes it's refreshing to listen to something you really used to like that you haven't listened to for a long time. I find that I need a break from even the best albums. for me it's usually a week though. There are some albums, like Apocalyptica's Cult, that I haven't listened to for a few months, even though I haven't grown tired of them. I have so many cds and mp3s now, I just choose what I want to listen to on impulse.

 

[D Mullholand]

Originally posted by O'blivion
Are you a native of Ukraine? I'm just wondering, because your English is very good. Of course, I kind of have a personal bias against Ukrainians, mostly because my ancestors came from there in the early 1900's. I grew up in a small town, full of people who, though born in Canada, consider themselves Ukrainians. Very ethnocentric, close-minded people. Anyway. . .

Yup, we have this type of people here (in mainland western Ukraine), but they are few in number - it's just that the stupid ones have always the loudest mouths. Most of my friends and acquaintances are really open-minded and progressive people, and I wouldn't exchange them for anybody else.

I highly recommend Godspeed You Black Emperor! There's really nothing like them.

I've already downloaded one song (20 min., heh). Now this is really close to classical, and I mean to contemporary classical - I'm not sure if the minimalism and avant-garde and spectral music currents have directly influenced the band, but the similarities are striking. Great band, it seems. Are you familiar with Sigur Ros? They are a band from Iceland who play a somewhat related style, but more meditative and serene, with some space-rock flavour.

Have you tried Audiogalaxy before? You can find pretty much any mp3 you want there. If you have a high speed connection it helps a lot.

Sure! That's what I use! The internet is rather cheap here, but the connection is only 33K. Oh well.

I have so many cds and mp3s now, I just choose what I want to listen to on impulse.

Ah! Familiar "problem"!

D Mullholand

 

[Sadistik]

For me Dark Metal is, was, and always will be Bethlehem. The darkest metal there is.